20:47 There's a Dan Quayle Vice Presidential Learning Center? http://t.co/LciecEEk #potatoe #
20:10 No thank you Twitter, I can happily live without following the Premier of Queensland. #cantdo #
19:14 Bizarre goings on in Ryde Council weeks before the Local Govt elections - http://t.co/HzvGGllP #
18:25 There were no attacks by Somali pirates in July. The ROI is, it seems, no longer worth it: http://t.co/LR5m26PJ #
18:04 Yes. RT @FionaKatauskas: Great drum piece by @grogsgamut today http://t.co/fpm2MJly #
17:16 event managers for Will and Kate's wedding to manage opening and closing ceremonies for Glasgow Commonwealth Games http://t.co/l6KuIjFq #
17:08 "News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising." Lord Northcliffe (1865-1922) http://t.co/zVJPanCk #
17:04 apart from mis-attributing a famous quote to George Orwell this is a fine article on journalism by @glover702 - http://t.co/TEyXA2m4 #
17:01 I just read "new restrictions on drinking in #kingscross" as "new restrictions on drinking #kangaroos". And I'm wearing my glasses. #
17:00 "Spice Girls break Twitter record" sounds like an anachronism. But it happened Sunday. http://t.co/ISiYyB73 (warning: Infographic overkill) #
16:44 @rglover702 good article, but wasn't that quote you attribute to Orwell actually made by Lord Northcliffe? #
14:29 My old school :) RT @JillHallMP: Great meeting students from Marks Point Public School in parliament today @1233newcastle @newcastleherald #
14:27 on the other hand, @klout has bumped Justin B**ber down from a perfect 100 to a mere 92. #
14:26 Klout announces a tweaking of its algorithm, which bumps my score from 40 to 54. Oh, I'm influential about libraries, Greece and smartphones #
13:51 not a day to be proud to be Australian :( #
13:32 English cricket is in the throes of a scandal over a fake player Twitter account. Meanwhile, an injured Australian racehorse is tweeting. #
10:18 sounds like Federal Parliament is going to be one long farce today. #auspol #
10:12 That's still a huge amount for one subject. RT @darrenrovell NBC says less than 0.5% of the 150 million Olympic tweets had #NBCFail in them. #
07:59 which leaves Boom Boom Washington and Vinnie Barbarino as the last two surviving Sweathogs #
07:57 vale Ron Palillo. Arnold Horshack to you. (via @TV_Rev) http://t.co/4GV5s27U #

Twenty-six sports, 302 medal events, about ten and a half thousand competitors. A total of 204 National Olympic Committees represented at the Games of the XXX Olympiad, plus the "Independent" athletes. Medals were won by 85 NOCs, one less than the total at Beijing. That's 41 per cent of competing teams coming away from London with at least one medal, with Bahrain, Botswana, Cyprus, Gabon, Grenada, Guatemala and Montenegro each taking a medal for the first time. One hundred and nineteen NOCs missed out on an Olympic medal in London.

15:42 well Australia we're really having a good week for human rights, aren't we? #asylumseekers #righttosilence #
14:34 That was a wonderful oration by @TurnbullMalcolm about Robert Hughes in the House of Reps. #QT #
12:16 though surprisingly, Stephanie Rice didn't contribute to that achievement #
12:14 A Kobe Bryant slam dunk was the single most tweeted moment of #london2012. The mind boggles. http://t.co/PR5SFfFP #
12:10 why would someone put a QR code on their web site captioned "scan with a smartphone and find us on the web"? #
11:39 Some interesting facts and figures on the Opposition's non-performance in #QT raised by @AlboMP at @ABCthedrum http://t.co/pUKP0qxe #auspol #
11:21 my latest blog post, where I get bored with the #london2012 closing ceremony and start reading the papers from 1948 - http://t.co/WFVrY5C3 #
11:11 All right. Julia Gillard got on the phone to the President of Nauru this morning. Happy now, Tony? Waiting for his reply: Nooooooooooo #
10:47 (and no it's not #paris1900) #
10:47 writing another Olympic blog post and including a cricket match report, cause that's how I do things #
10:20 Australia now 2-2. RT @IBAF_Baseball: (14 Aug 2012, 02:11) Women’s BWC: Aussies avoid Dutch Upset http://t.co/7DlJx8ir #
08:33 Pecuniary interests in Nauru. I want to know who has them? #auspol #
08:28 aargh why is there a Tony Abbott Says at this time of morning? #

The Olympic Games are over. Now let's take some deep breaths, and take some time to get the euphoria out of our systems before reflecting on what it all means.

22:09 Watching the #london2012 #closingceremony on delay, one word springs to mind: Wha? #
21:20 My daily (and often twice daily) #london2012 Olympic Games blog is here: http://t.co/0eVtM5Cy #
20:44 looks like a retrospective gold medal to New Zealand in the womens #shotput with the winner from Belarus DQed. #london2012 #
19:54 and that's two hashtags on mute for the same program #
19:43 thank you Echofon :) #
19:40 Bit awkward for Albo to be celebrating his preselection on the day his party cacks its refugee policy again. #
19:31 when was the last time a Federal Govt accepted the findings of a report it commissioned, let alone on the same day of its release? #auspol #
19:26 This is probably the time when I should download a Twitter app that allows hashtag muting. #
17:05 Has Gillard said "we will decide who comes to Australia and the circumstances in which they come" yet? #auspol #
16:52 So who stands to benefit financially from the construction and operation of a processing centre in Nauru? #asylumseekers #auspol #
13:10 I can't believe the #houstonreport is suggesting towbacks are a good idea in *any* circumstance. #
12:52 Seeing as Abbott and Morrison were always going to ignore the #houstonreport I'd expect there will be no comment from them today. #
12:49 And what if it's never practical to open a processing centre in Nauru? #asylumseekers #houstonreport #
09:49 Australia now 1-2. RT @IBAF_Baseball: (13 Aug 2012, 01:43) Women’s BWC: Canada edges out Australia for 3rd Win http://t.co/TsQAsH4J #
09:45 My last daily #london2012 blog post, though not my final word just yet - http://t.co/paL7I5yG #
09:09 At least they won't stage a golf grand slam against #rio2016. RT @Deadspin: Rory McIlroy is your 2012 PGA champion http://t.co/lnganLDP #
08:43 Why didn't Lord Coe do a Michael Knight and thank his family? #london2012 #sydney2000 #
07:55 So did Keith Moon turn up? #closingceremony #london2012 #
07:45 I'm not watching the #closingceremony. Have I made the right decision? #london2012 #
04:39 TV off. Rolling back to sleep. Closing ceremony? I'll watch it on replay tonight, thank you :) #london2012 #

My last recollection of live action at the London Olympics was at around 1am Monday, falling asleep as the Washington Generals of the men's basketball final, Spain, were just maintaining their grip in was a surprisingly close tussle.

23:37 rhythmic gymnasts should perform their own music live. #london2012 #
23:10 Sushil Kumar gets silver. India 2 silver 4 bronze their best ever. Sobering thought for spoilt brat countries like Australia. #london2012 #
22:58 India's best and last shot at gold in #london2012 about to start. Good luck Sushil Kumar in the 66kg wrestling #
22:48 if you're getting bored with the #dancingwithballs, the Unicorns have started batting in the #cricket against Yorkshire http://t.co/KXrkFnFI #
22:46 and here's the Belarus team in the ten pin bowling final. oh wait... #london2012 #
22:42 the AIS needs more funding for architects #
22:34 While the #musicalballtossing is on, here's a list of Olympic medallists in "Architecture - Design For Town Planning" - http://t.co/R4cfkAxk #
22:19 (except perhaps for #tenlate and the #NRL on mute) #
22:18 less than eleven hours away from switching off commercial television indefinitely #
22:15 86 countries won medals at #Beijing2008. #London2012 is one short of that following Stephen Kiprotich's #marathon win. #
22:08 Uganda. The 85th country to win a medal at #London2012. #marathon #
22:04 Not a mention of #cricket. #London2012 RT @AJEnglish_Sport: What next for Usain Bolt? http://t.co/iWgvR7Bh #
21:40 my latest #london2012 blog post in which I pay tribute to my new all-time favourite Olympian: William Winans http://t.co/uNSSlZE6 #
21:14 Reading all this stuff about William Winans makes me start to wonder whether someone has created a very elaborate troll #
21:07 OMG Walter Winans played a forerunner of paintball! This is too much - http://t.co/uwK75YJ3 #london1908 #stockholm1912 #
20:39 I wonder how much James Magnussen Official Memorabilia channel 9 has stacked out the back of the warehouse. #lomndon2012 #
20:30 Today is the 92nd anniversary of the death of Walter Winans who won the Olympic double of deer shooting and sculpture - http://t.co/fR8BpaNk #
20:06 Aargh. RT @Olympics: Wow, #onedirection is winning out on your votes for the musical act you most want to see at the #closingceremony ! #
19:58 time to mute ch9 for two and a bit hours I fear. #london2012 #marathon #eddie #
19:57 my #london2012 day 15 blog focuses on just two gold medal events. #mo #bolt http://t.co/h3NR7fZq #
18:35 Karl, he's Mr Bolt to you. #london2012 #ch9 #
12:23 Woah. Big comeback. RT @IBAF_Baseball: (12 Aug 2012, 03:38) Women’s BWC: USA escapes Australia with Comeback Win http://t.co/GOidOnjO #
08:22 Australia v USA at the Women's #Baseball World Cup begins 8.30am AEST. Follow @IBAF_Baseball or go to http://t.co/Dzrj61zG for live scores. #
08:12 Molfetta wins the 80kg+ men's #taekowndo and Italy jump to 8th. Anthony Obame silver, congratulations Gabon! #london2012 #
07:28 or will Anthony Obame deliver Gabon's its first ever gold? #london2012 #taekwondo #
07:27 Coming up: Mens 80kg+ #taekwondo final. Will Carlo Molfetta win for Italy and bump Australia back to 10th on the medal ladder? #london2012 #
07:22 Paul Ryan Reading Guide: The Best Reporting on the VP Candidate - ProPublica http://t.co/8zx7bPHi #
07:15 Lots of #london2012 stuff on my @Rebelmouse page (and #VBNSWCup too) - http://t.co/YINeNhZH #
07:03 Norway wins the women's #handball. Montenegro's silver is their first ever medal. Final score 26-23. #london2012 #
07:00 I gather #ch9fail is showing #goldballcatching instead of Mo's medal ceremony? #london2012 #

August 12, 1920 - ninety-years ago today. A harness race at Parsloes Park, London. The trotter Henrietta Guy was approaching the finish line as its driver cried out "Stop my horse". The horse continued to the winning post, its driver fell to the ground, having suffered a heart attack, and died. An incredible end to the life of Walter Winans, a man whose place in the history of the Olympic Games is both unsung and unique.

It can be a reflection of an occasion of euphoria to describe something as "the best ever". It could be the statement of a serial sycophant, as with the late JA Samaranch, to describe each Olympics as "the best ever". I'm not in a position to say whether the 2012 London Olympic Games - held in their tightly-controlled environment of both the strictest physical and commercial security - are the best ever. But watching from my armchair, my couch, my computer desk, more often from my bed at 5 or 6 am, I'm willing to call the athletics competition at the 2012 Olympic Stadium as the most enthralling I've seen. Even in those events where the favourite(s) were so obvious.

22:15 my #london2012 Day 14 blog post, with added BMX - http://t.co/01LtueUq #
21:37 Hi ho Silver away! #london2012 #mens50kwalk #
21:10 at least with Mitcham eliminated we'll hear less of Slats now. #london2012 #diving #ch9 #
20:57 was that like Bradman missing his 100 average by four runs? #london2012 #diving #slats #
20:56 oooh. Mitcham has missed the cut! #london2012 #diving #
20:36 Did I just hear Slats mentioning Bradman's 99.94 batting average in #diving commentary? #london2012 #ch9 #
20:23 Banner at Petersham Town Hall honouring #stockholm1912 gold medallist and local resident Fanny Durack - http://t.co/Uizxz588 #
19:51 200 metre #kayak sprint? Sorry I blinked. What happened there? #london2012 #
19:01 "The divers state the day with a blank slate." It takes a Blank Slate to know a blank slate. #london2012 #diving #
18:57 Another kind of #NBCfail. #london2012 MT @GdnLondon2012 NBC boxing coverage halted after disruption to judges http://t.co/lnUC2mGm #
17:39 @Kookaburras: That's a fake. “@AdamCGilchrist: Massive game for the @Kookaburras against the Poms today - leave nothing in the locker room #
10:06 I see the SMH's "stong" winds report from last night is still unchanged http://t.co/mkJHtXGj #
09:50 #goaussies RT @IBAF_Baseball: (11 Aug 2012, 01:35) Women’s BWC: Aussies win over Cuba http://t.co/kDTGN756 #
09:44 It's been a bit windy overnight! @ Maundrell Park http://t.co/cmMdSx2C #
09:42 And it's GOLD for Fanny! #stockholm1912 @ Petersham Town Hall http://t.co/vwvST3xs #
09:36 That dreaded day has finally arrived. Sausage rolls now cost $2.00 at the hot bread shop. #
09:26 It does bring a smile to my face to see an email titled "WTF Press Release" in my inbox :) #london2012 #taekwondo #
08:39 Laurie Oakes on Bob Ellicott's fix for Australia's post-Montreal Olympic blues - a cut-price Institute of Sport: http://t.co/4cUmhgvX #
08:21 All of Japan's games in the Women's #Baseball World Cup will be streamed on Youtube from tmrw (presumably in Japanese) http://t.co/E4C8kBu8 #
07:59 Australia have just drawn level with Cuba, 3-3 top of the 3rd. The live gametracker is so cool - http://t.co/GoDrQWWV #womensbaseball #
07:56 Womens Baseball will probably never be an Olympic sport. The World Cup has begun in Canada. Cuba playing Australia now: http://t.co/GoDrQWWV #
07:43 The quite excellent @deadspin does a marvellous dissection of the absurdity that is Modern Pentathlon - http://t.co/vegRLZZ9 #london2012 #
00:10 #london2012 David Beckham is watching the BMX. #whoop #dee #doo #
00:08 Dear SMH, what, exactly, are "stong" winds? http://t.co/pedKKsOJ #